New tsuka (sort of) for my old PK

[Nicholas W]

A couple of years ago I took apart my PK and made a new tsuka for it, with black samé and green cotton ito and home-made tsuba, seppa and fuchi/kashira.

Well, I grew a bit tired of that one, since it wasn't really great and I didn't get the samé and ito I wanted for it, and I wasn't very good at making anything back then. So, I toyed with the idea of making a new tsuka, but never got around to it, until now.

My idea was to make a European style leather wrapped handle on a tsuka-like core. I reused the fittings that came off the PK, glueing them on to the new tsuka core. I also used the seppa from the PK, but made a new tsuba, which is the same size and shape as the seppa. The core is wrapped in cord and then covered in black kangaroo leather. It's fastened to the nakago with a mekugi peg made from a chopstick, and colored black.

OK, so it's not the most perfect-looking handle ever seen on a katana, but it feels really good, and it's a bit better made than the first tsuka.

[J.S. Hill]

Nicholas,

Not necessarily traditional (for a katana), but I really like it. And I think it would be well-received tactically by the hands. Looks very neat and clean, and the cord beneath should help reduce slippage. Makes for a very organic and comfortable looking tsuka. Good to see the tsuka follows the sori, too. I really like the Aikuchi-styled fittings, too.

Shannon

[Sean Stonebridge]

That's certainly a sweet looking job you've done there

[S.Haugtredet]

i like the "organic" look it gives the tsuka. Nice idea.
First i thought you had covered it in (Don`t remember the english name for it) the kind of black plastic/rubber hose you put on electrical wires and shrink with heat. But understood i was clearly wrong when i read the text ;-) Hm...maybe i should use the plastic/rubber hose on a future project...?...lol.

Have a nice day